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I am toying with the idea to fit USD forks to my '99 Daytona, preferrably Ohlins ( if I can find them 2nd hand..... ) or 916/999-type Showa.
Has anybody done something like this allready ??.
Any tips, hints or pictures ??

I've used 916/996 Showa items with Brembo calipers, I was able to retain the Triumph wheel as I had a new set of yokes made, allowing the forks to be set the right distance apart.
I had a sleeve/spacer made for the right fork this enabled me to use the stock wheel spindle also, it clamps up ok in the left fork.
The Ducati forks are shorter than the Triumph ones so I had the top yoke stepped to allow for this.

I can hardly imagine that there is no noticable difference between USD and conventional forks.
If there would be no difference at all, why does every recent sportbike have them, even if they are supposably a little bit heavier than "conventional" forks ??. I am shure there is more to it than fashion alone.

The thing i am not happy with is that the standard forks seems very prone to stick-slip. This has become much more obvious since i repaced the rear shock with an Ohlins.
I do not want to changing it's appearance too much, i prefer to keep it subtle with using as much original parts if possible.

Theoretically USD-forks should be stiffer and not so prone to stick, als the legs are much longer inside the slider ( and so producing a lighter load on the bushes ) and therefore have smaller diameter.
Even 999's, GSX-R1000 and R1's "only" have 43 mm legs, instead of my Daytona's 45 mm.

Mr.C., did you use the original speedo drive, as on a Ducati this is on the other side.

I had to replace the forks as the OE ones were F****D, So I was able to replace them with items which even standard are better, set up correctly with Ohlins springs they will perform better and they were a lot cheaper! The whole point of doing this project is to have the' bike I want', its also a enjoyable learning process, so in certain respects money is not the main objective.

I used the Triumph wheel so that I could retain the same speedo drive, it only takes a small modification to fit with the Ducati forks, plus I like the OE wheels otherwise they'd have been E-Bayed off in favour of some Dymags

Definately a step in the right direction using USD forks and if you can sell your orig setup you can virtually halve the cost of the conversion.I did mine some time ago with Showa units from an NR750 very rare and trick and work superbly with the Triumph.Billet yokes etc have transformed the bikes handling and I can be sure that it is true one off.All I need now is the paintwork and I can finally call it finished.If anyone is considering the conversion try Dave Silver spares for your forks-rare items are very cheap as there is little demand for them.I got lucky and got the NR items for £240 brand new!Hondas price would have been £3-4 grand.My tip would be to look for a bike with similar weight/characteristics and rare possibly a Jap market only model and give Dave a call-he may have a new set on the shelf gathering dust.

I'm not able to pass judgement yet as the bike isn't due on the road till spring, it may be possible to use the Triumph calipers by having adapter plates made, this will increase the distance between the forks, something to be taken into account when having the yokes made.

All you guys who have done a USD-conversion allready, how did you have your yokes machined ??
After a rethink and a discussion with my engineering dad, we came to the conclusion that the holes in the bottom yoke must be machined absolutely true ( CNC only !! ) to each other and the steering stem. Did any of you idicate any tolerances or something to the machining shop ??
Did you use the same clamp sizing on the bottom yoke or make it larger and lower down the fork legs like Ducati 998 or 999 ( these look REALLY massive ).

IMHO the legs will only stick worse if you get it wrong due to the more rigid construction. Steering precision might also be "entertaining".

Mine were machined on a XYZ cnc all bores for the stem and forks are bang on true.Clamp size depends on which forks are getting used as the profile defines the clamping points and dimensions.Accuracy when measuring fork size is key -do not rely on them being to the nearest mm.The dim on the lower clamping point on my forks was 56.4mm and the yoke was bored to match.When the clamp is split a gap of 2mm ensures that the pinch bolts take out any slack and also allow for trouble free fitting/removal of the fork.I still have all the dimensions somewhere and a programmable cad drawing as well I think.Stuart (Homer)had pics of the yokes in the old shop section if he is following this maybe he can put them back up somewhere-tech faq Stu?If you need any help/advice I am only to happy to give you any if you want to email me

But wouldn't it be easier to seek a set of USD's with a similar diameter in the neck (maybe wrong term here- the part that goes through the frame), then just get the appropriately-sized bearings to allow it to fit into the frame? Then just bolt the whole damn show on in one go.

I would think it's a whole lot easier to get tapered bearings of a specific size than to have yokes machined etc . etc.

This is how I got a Blade front on a Hawk GT/NT650 years ago and it worked great. Obviously, I'm assuming that the overall length of the setup is similar to the Triumph.

This might be a possability, but will never be an improvement.
If you look at chassis data it is clear that it can be an improvemet on a Honda Hawk, but not on a Daytona;

First of all handling is determined ( among others ) by headstock angle and trail. Trail is the result of this headstock angle and yoke offset. The steeper the headstock and/or the shorter the trail, the better ( = theoretically more unstable !! ) it will handle.
This is always a compromise between ability to change direction with little effort / precision and stability.

1; A Honda Hawk has a pretty conservative geometry because of it's small size and weight; a longish trail of 112 mm with a 62 degr. headstock angle.
The first generation Fireblade has 89 mm trail at 66 degr. headstock angle, so much more agressive.
If you do some calculations, the outcome is that the original fork yokes on Hawk and Blade have near identical offset, the Blade being a bit longer. So a complete Blade front end in a Hawk will result in a bit less trail making it turn even faster.
Of course this is only so if the fork length is identical.
( Personally I dont see the point as with a better rear shock it already outhandles your brain !! ). The 16" frontwheel may even make this advantage undone because of the too large (130 !! ) front tyre.

2: A Daytona has about the most agressive geometry to be found (, about the same as the first generation Blade ).
All bikes which have suitable front ends ( especially Ducati 916-998 and 999 ) have much longer trail with identical headstock angles. ( Even so, these forks are some 7 mm shorter with stepped top yoke and VERY low bars. This will never ever fit inside a Daytona's fairing. )
So any straight front end swap using the yokes which came with the USD-forks will result in a much longer trail, making it more stable ( which is unwanted, it is very stable as it is ) and much more reluctant to change direction.

IMHO the only way to go is one-off yokes, as i want this to work, not only look good....

They are OEM-type Ohlins.
Looking at the length of the legs they are probably off a Aprilia RSV Mille R or some limited edition Guzzi.
The Ohlins forks which are easiest to find ( over her at least... ) are from Ducati's but they are 7 mm shorter than Triumph forks.

Yes it is a turbo... 165hp at the wheel at 7800rpm.
I seem to have a problem, want more power.

My latest project is fitting a 685cc two stroke single into a little RS250 Honda chassis, should be a laugh.

I should also point out that the forks are using the triple clamps that they came with, these have the same stem length as the Triumph.
I used the Triumph lower bearing and put a new bearing in the top. Steve from Race Comp gave me the part number for a bearing that fits the Triumph head and the Suzuki stem.
Previously I had a set of billet clamps with 30mm offset (Standard is 35mm), the 30mm was much better.
The Suzuki is 25mm and feels better again.
Fork springs in the USD forks are standard and I am using the Triumph wheel and brake rotors.

On my bike I used the Suzuki axle. 1997-2001 Triumphs have the same axle size as the Suzuki so it fits the wheel.
For the 2002 onward it is better to use the Triumph axle and make inserts to fit the Suzuki wheel.
You can even use the Suzuki steering damper.
The only let down on my bike is the top triple clamp. The steering lock is in the wrong position.
I am getting a new top triple clamp made to solve this problem.

If anyone is interested in a kit (bearings, spacers, bolts and top triple clamp) to fit this type of front end they can email me.
The triple clamp will be a bit like the 999 top clamp.

When I was doing a bit of research into it I was over at Cresents in Verwood, chucked in the corner were some sets of OE forks, not only do they set up the Rizla bikes but customers have Ohlins fitted from new, hence the left over standard jobbies, they aint cheap though!! give 'em a bell

If you get Ducati forks or other Showas you can get the fork bottoms changed for radial mounts or alternatively have the mounts cnc machined.Triumph went to a huge amount of effort to upgrade the already excellent braking on the front end of its triples-it will be interesting to see if the new system is really that much better in the real world of street riding or whether they have just followed the trend re radial calipers.If I could afford it I would personally go for rim mounts-Braking do a kit which includes a new front wheel for around a grand.Aesthetically IMHO preferable as the front wheel looks less cluttered in the same way an sssa cleans up the rear.

Erick.
Did you get the top and bottom clamps and steering damper?
Callipers can be had on EBay for anything from $43 to $100 USD
GSXR600 and 750 callipers are the same as the 1000.
I would stick with the Suzuki parts as I know they line up with the rotors.

I’ve just fitted a Hyperpro steering damper to our 2001 Daytona. I made a fitting kit for it as Hyperpro don’t make one.. It will fit any Daytona/Speed Triple from 1997-2001 A kit is also available to fit the GSXR top clamp. Cost of the Damper and fitting kit is approximately AU$800.00.Check out my profile for the pictures.